Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Documenting Maasai Rites and Rituals in Laikipia for Wiki Loves Africa 2026 (ID: 23746371)

Endorsement from AmbroseGiddy (talk)

I am a member of the Maasai community from Laikipia, and I strongly support this proposal “Documenting Maasai Rites and Rituals in Laikipia for Wiki Loves Africa 2026.” The project is very important to our community because many of our cultural rites, rituals, and oral traditions are at risk of being lost due to modernization and lack of proper documentation. By documenting these practices on Wikimedia platforms, the project will help preserve our heritage and make accurate, community-based knowledge accessible to the wider world.

The strategies proposed, working directly with community members, elders, and local participants, and documenting content through photography, media uploads, and structured Wikimedia contributions, are appropriate and well thought out. These approaches are realistic and respectful of community knowledge systems, and they are likely to achieve the expected results.

One of the strongest aspects of this proposal is its focus on community engagement and representation. The project actively involves people from the Maasai community and addresses existing knowledge gaps about Maasai culture on Wikimedia projects. It also supports underrepresented voices by ensuring that content is created with cultural sensitivity and local context.

The proposal also builds on existing Wikimedia activities such as Wiki Loves Africa and contributes meaningfully to Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia by adding high-quality, culturally relevant content. This aligns well with the Wikimedia Movement Strategy, especially around knowledge equity and representation.

Overall, the proposal is coherent in terms of its objectives, activities, budget, and expected outcomes. I believe it will have a positive and lasting impact both for our community and for Wikimedia projects. I fully recommend and endorse this project.

--AmbroseGiddy (talk) 18:19, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Endorsement from Rose Saitaga in Chumvi, Laikipia NorthRoseSaitaga (talk)

1. Why the proposal is important for your community and why you think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected? I strongly support this proposal because it will take place in my home area, within the Maasai community where I was born and raised. The project focuses on documenting real, living Maasai rites and rituals in Laikipia North — traditions that are central to our identity but are rarely shown accurately on Wikimedia platforms. Many images online do not fully reflect the depth of our cultural practices. This project changes that by enabling community members themselves, especially youth and women, to document our heritage in a respectful and authentic way.

The strategy of training local participants through practical workshops and photowalks is very suitable for our community, where many people have cultural knowledge but limited experience with Wikimedia platforms. By combining cultural guidance from elders with digital skills training, the project has a strong foundation to reach its goals of producing high-quality media and bringing new contributors to Wikimedia projects. Because the work is led by someone from the community with lived experience and local trust, the approach is realistic and likely to succeed.

2. Particularly well developed aspects of the proposal The community engagement is a major strength. The proposal clearly explains how elders, youth, and women will be involved and how cultural permissions and guidance will be respected. This is very important when documenting rites and rituals. The focus on underrepresented indigenous participants helps address both knowledge gaps and participation gaps on Wikimedia. The activity plan is well structured — from training and documentation during the Wiki Loves Africa period to follow-up upload sessions, article improvement, and community recognition through a local jury. The clear metrics for participants, editors, media uploads, and article improvements show good planning and accountability.

3. Research, learning, or innovation The project is valuable in learning how community-led documentation by indigenous people can strengthen both cultural preservation and Wikimedia participation. It explores how to support new contributors with limited digital background and how elder involvement improves cultural accuracy and respect. Extending work beyond the contest period to ensure deeper documentation is also a strong approach that other communities can learn from.

4. Contribution to Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy This project directly supports Knowledge Equity by bringing more accurate representation of Maasai indigenous culture to Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia. It helps ensure that global knowledge platforms include voices and perspectives from communities like ours. The focus on inclusion, local leadership, and safe community participation aligns well with the Movement Strategy direction of supporting underrepresented communities.

5. Coherence of objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results The proposal is coherent and well aligned. The objectives of documenting rites and rituals, training new contributors, and improving Wikimedia content are clearly connected to the planned workshops, photowalks, uploads, and follow-up sessions. The targets for participants, editors, and media files match the scale of activities and timeline. Overall, the plan shows a clear link between activities and expected impact.

--RoseSaitaga (talk) 09:20, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

Not Funded

Hello Nehelymo, thank you for submitting your Rapid Fund request. We appreciate your commitment to contributing to the Wikimedia Movement.

After reviewing your application, we have decided not to fund it. This decision was made based on the following reason:

• Very low contribution in terms of number of contributions on target Wikimedia project as per your recent contribution history on Wikimedia project. We recommend working with the Wikimedia Kenya to enrich your Wikimedia journey and experience.

On behalf of the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Review Team. WBuloso-WMF (talk) 09:15, 13 March 2026 (UTC)